Improvement in steam-engines



`v`UNTTEn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE B. WHITING, OF VASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

IMPROVEMENT INl STEAM-ENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 5E,SS5, dated January2, 1866.

To all 'whom it 'may concern:

Beit known that I, GEO. B. WHi'rING, ofthe city of Washington, in theDistrict 0f Columbia, have invented a new and useful Improvement inSteam Engines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description ofthe construction and operation ofthesame, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of thisspecification, in which- Figure l is an end elevation. longitudinalvertical section.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts of the severalgures.

The nature of myinvention consists in making a cylinder forareciprocatin g steam-engine with a Xed central cylindertrunk for thesteam-chest, which communicates with steam and vacuum chambers, whichare made in one or both ol' the cylinder-heads, as the case mayrequire,the trunk having steam-ports leading into the cylinder andfitted with a balance piston-valve, which is operated by any of theusual methods, the object of my invention being to diminish the capacityof the passages leading from the steam-ports to the cylinder to theleast possible space and reduce the weights and bulk of the engines, atthe same time providing theengine with an equilibriumvalve.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

I construct my cylinder without the usual valve-face, steam-ports, andsteam-chest, and substitute in their place a ixed centralcylinder-trunk, A, the axis of the trunk coinciding with the axis of thecylinder. The trunk Ais made with suitable steam-ports a b, whichcommunicate with the cylinder B B, and is fitted with a balancedpiston-valve, C. One cylinder-head, D, is made hollow and divided intotwo chambers, E and F. E is the steamchamber, the steam entering throughthe induction-opening Gr, as shown by arrows. F is the exhaust-chamber,the steam passing out through the eduction-opening H. One end of thetrunk is made with a surrounding-case, which is subdivided into two ormore compartments or passages c o d d e eff, which open into the trunk.The passages c d e f' communicate with the steam-chamber E, while Fig. 2is a the passages c d e f lead into the cylinderB B. The trunk A' issecured to the cylinderhead D by flanges g g', which close the steam andvacuum chambers E F from the'cylinder when the valve C covers the portsa b.

To allow for the variation of expansion of the cylinder and trunk, andto facilitate the adjustment and removal ot' the head I, I make one endof the trunk A with the steam-port b in a separate piece, and secure thesame by the flange h to the cylinder-cover I, making a vacuum-tightjoint, and connect it with the other part of the trunk by the tongue andgroove i, the tongue being secured to flange h by a suitable number ofwebs, jj. The end of the main portion of the trunk serves as a marginfor the port b, so that the steam lead will not be aii'ected by thevariation which may occur in the length ot' the trunk by expansion orthe adjustment of the cylinder-head I.

l make the piston-valve O ahollow cylinder open at each end, and havingthe required cross-area through its whole length, which serves as anexhaust-passage from the steamport B to the vacuum-chamber F. Theannular space J J around the valve is used as a steam-chamber, in commonwith the steamchamber E, being united by passages c d ef, as abovedescribed. I fit the valve C with a set of metallic packing-rin gs, 7al, foreach steamport, and make the outside ring of each set in twoparts, as is usual; but to prevent any liability of variation on thewearing-surfaces of the rings m a and o p, while passing the ports ct b,I imite them with a tongue and groove, 1'. I likewise make grooves s son the outer surfaces of the inner rings, and make the inner surfaces ofthe outer rings with tongues which lit the grooves s s, and secure theouter rings to the valve. 4I adjust the rings by any ofthe usual methodsin use. The valve is fitted with a stem, t, which is secured to boss a,the stem passing through the stuffing-box o, and unites with the properconnections for receiving the motion required.

The pistou K Kis made annular, and tted, as in the usual manner, withmetallic packingrings on its circumference. It is likewise fitted withmetalling packing-rings w, working on the trunk A. V

W W are the piston-rods, also itted in the usual manner.

Operation: The steam being admitted to the annular steam-chamberJ J, asabove described, and the port ct opened ou the steam side, the steamenters the cylinder behind the piston through passages c d cf, While theport bis opened on the exhaust side, the steam passing out of thecylinder B B through the valve C into theeXhaust-chamber F. Vhen steamis taken on the opposite side of the piston and the port a opened on theexhaust side the steam passes out through the passages c l into theexhaust-chamber F, and out of it through the eductioiropening H, asindicated by arrows.

Having thus described my invention, WhatI claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. Arranging the induction and eduction valve of a reciprocatingsteam-en gin 3 so as to Work Within and through the piston,substantially as described.

2. The fixed central cylinder-trunk, A, with steam ports and passages,as described.

3. In combination with the fixed"y central cylinder-trunk, A, thepiston-valve (l, steamchamber E, vacuum-chamber F, and annular piston KK, substantially as described.

GEO. B. WHITING.

Witnesses:

JAMES H. GRIDLEY, E. B. FoRBUsH.

